The most successful entrepreneurs start early, so Ky Wright and Owain Williams – who founded frozen yoghurt company Lick when they were sixth-formers – are on the right track. The young men initially sold scoops of ice-cream from mini-coolers attached to trikes and have reinvested profits into the business – year one's profits bought a second trike.

This sure and steady growth has led to the creation of a strong brand and Lick's frozen yoghurt (often referred to as 'froyo') is now stocked by supermarkets and large retailers nationwide.

"I ran a conker business and school discos as a boy. When we were in sixth form, Owain and I started selling ice-cream," says Wright of his childhood businesses. "We carried on doing it, putting money back into the business, so by the time we had gone through university it was quite a big operation."

The pair moved the business from their home town of Tenby, south Wales, to Brighton and opened a shop there in March 2008, which has been used as a launch pad to take the business national. "We used the shop to fund the next stage. When we opened it and realised there was a big gap in the market – there was no frozen yoghurt in the supermarket."

However, freezing yoghurt isn't as easy as it sounds and the business went through a lengthy period of research and development to get the product right. "It was really difficult. We worked on it for three years and now it is significantly better than anything else on the market. We were also the first ever frozen-yoghurt brand," Wright says.

Selling frozen yoghurt was just part of the plan. The shop has played a major role in developing the Lick brand, building support and a loyal customer base. It has been used as a base and hang-out, as well as a stage for some exciting events. Tom Lavis, who used to work in A&R for Fat Cat Records and was a long-time friend of company, was brought in to boost publicity. He began booking bands to play gigs at their store, including indie stars Frightened Rabbit and well-known names such as Charlotte Church. "Charlotte was coming to Brighton, so we sent her a message. She was taking her career in a new direction and is definitely interested in our types of people. The place was full of paparazzi and it was a great gig," says Wright.

Key to Lick's success has been the interaction with its customers: the company has a busy Twitter feed and Facebook page, and uses them to cross-promote work with collaborators and partners. Wright says his approach is natural and believes this is why it's successful. "There's always a lot of interaction. The way we communicate the brand is just the way we talk with our friends. We talk about the things we find interesting and funny, and that's how we decided what to do. Our friends are our customers, there's no separation between work and life."

Lick has now moved on to the next stage of its life cycle, closing the Brighton shop to focus on its retail growth. The closure was announced with a message of thanks painted on its shop window, a photograph of which was shared across the internet. The picture was hailed by the marketing industry for its savviness, and the shop's final day led to huge crowds packing out Brighton's North Laine.

The company is also diversifying into the music business. "We hope that, as Lick grows, Lick Music will grow alongside it. We'd love to do something interesting at music festivals and continue to release music we like. Our ambition is always to continue to be excited by what we do day to day."